Candida Alvarez’s exhibition “Circle, Point, Hoop” at El Museo del Barrio takes its name from a 1996 collage-painting by the artist. The title piece, a simple dark blue circle with white string threaded through nails, stands out against the vibrant mosaics of color seen in her more recent works. This retrospective showcases Alvarez’s evolution as an artist over nearly five decades, exploring themes that reflect her Diasporican identity and upbringing in Brooklyn’s Farragut Houses.
The exhibition is not just a chronological display of her work but also organizes pieces thematically, revealing the interconnectedness of different periods in Alvarez’s life. From the atmospheric charcoal drawings of the “John Street” series to the abstract paintings like “Stretching, Nesting, Reaching, Feeling” and the joyful lime-green orbs in “Ramon,” each piece offers a glimpse into the artist’s memories and observations of the world around her.
Alvarez’s art blurs the lines between abstraction and representation, capturing fleeting moments of memory that coalesce into images before dissolving again. Recent works like “Partly Cloudy” and “Clear” showcase a shift towards cartographic space, influenced by her move to Michigan. These pieces reflect a sense of calm after the frenetic energy of her multicolored “Air Paintings,” which were a response to traumatic events like Hurricane Maria and the loss of her father.
Despite the pain that inspires her work, Alvarez’s art is infused with color and light, offering a sense of hope and transformation. Her “Air Paintings” convey the resilience of the human spirit and the power of art to transcend adversity. As Alvarez herself states, “I use personal knowledge to build magical dimensions.”
The exhibition “Candida Alvarez: Circle, Point, Hoop” at El Museo del Barrio runs until August 3rd and is curated by Rodrigo Moura and Zuna Maza with Alexia Arrizurieta. It is a testament to Alvarez’s artistic journey and the profound impact of her memories and experiences on her work.
